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Made famous by Johnny Depp's character in the movie Crybaby. It is a tattoo of a teardrop below one's eye on either side. Originally placed in prison to signify that the bearer was owned by a fellow prisoner. The teardrop signifies that pain and humiliation one would feel after being "turned out" in prison. The tattoo is placed on the face to further humiliate the victim and mark them in a place where they could not cover the mark.
Traditionally. the tattoo tear signified that the wearer had killed someone. The meaning of the tattoo can vary between ethnicity and region. For example in Australia, a tattoo tear is sometimes forcefully tattooed on an inmate who had sexually assaulted a child.
The tattooed teardrop has also come to mean a fellow family or gang member has died while incarcerated.
February 8, 2016